I always envisioned Hemingway’s home in Cuba. Finca Vigía, to be on the water. But in fact, it’s inland, about a 30-minute drive out of town. From the back terrace of the home, you can see the city of Havana and the Gulf far in the distance.
His famous boat, the Pilar, was kept 10-15 minutes away in the port of Cojimar. Built in 1886 by a Catalonian architect, Finca Vigia was Hemingway’s home from 1939–1960 and is now a museum. The Pilar is now housed on-site.
While renting the home, he finished For Whom the Bells Toll and used the proceeds from book sales to purchase the 15-acre property for $12,500. He lived at Finca Vigía with his third and fourth wives (Martha & Mary), and many beloved dogs and cats. Hemingway added a pool, tennis courts, and a cock fighting ring in addition to the many nature trails he enjoyed throughout the property. The home is full of taxidermy animals, but I didn’t see any displayed fish – I guess they ate or released what they caught.
It was here, probably standing at his typewriter in his bedroom, that he wrote his most well-read, famous book, The Old Man and the Sea, a story about a Cuban fisherman. “Papa,” as Hemingway was known, dedicated his 1954 Nobel Prize in literature to Cuba, a country and a people he dearly loved.
After Hemingway left, the property deteriorated despite U.S. efforts to preserve it. It was eventually placed on the World Monuments Foundation list of the world’s most endangered historic buildings. The Cuban government finally restored the property, and it’s been open to visitors since 2007.
When I say, open that’s a literal statement. Most windows are open, and you can look through them to see the interior of the home. You cannot enter. You can see the continued deterioration of Finca Vigía and its grounds reflected in my photos. For a few dollars, the ladies working in the home will quietly borrow your cellphone to snap a few close-ups.
While there, we were told his widow had donated the home and contents to the Cuban government. Independent sources, however, indicate the property and contents were seized by the government, a few months after he returned to the U.S. in 1960. It is reported his widow was pressured to “donate” the property in exchange for collecting a few personal items and manuscripts that were in a vault in Havana. Which version do you believe?
Hemingway was allowed a residence permit, but was never able to return to Cuba before his death by suicide in July ’61.
Details (l-r): Bullets on his desk, bullfighting poster, original Picasso plaque, books & hunting trophies.
Of note for my cat-friends: No cats are living at Finca Vigíia now, and the Cuban cats were never the six-toed (polydactyl) variety like their famous Key West “cousins.” Hemingway had a fluffy gray Angora, Princessa, from a breeder in Key West, and Cuban cats, Good Will and Boise, to name a few.
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Reflections of Cuba: Music & Dance
Riding in the vintage cars was the most fun and whimsical part of being in Havana. They have become the most symbolic visual of Havana. Today, most are brightly re-painted in tourist-magnet colors, and some of the old sedans have even had their tops sheared off to create more convertibles.
Pictured above: Orange ’50 Buick Super 8; Light Blue ’54 Chevy; Bright Blue ’50 Chevrolet Deluxe; Burgundy ’41 Buick 8; Blue & White Fins ’59 Buick Electra.
The cars provide an income for the lucky families able to hold on to cars they had in the 50s. Each has been carefully restored and maintained. Parts come from cars ready for the junk lot, creatively crafted knock-offs, or bought from secret out-of-country sources (sometimes smuggled in by visiting Americans). Entrepreneurs own several cars and hire drivers to work for them. But most of the drivers we experienced were proudly operating their own cars.
A lo Cubano is a vintage car club, and we visited the garage of a member who was happy to showcase his two award-winning cars. The green car above is a ’56 Plymouth, and the black is a ’58 Didge Kingsway. These cars were carefully restored in their original form and colors. Internet sources say there are about 60,000 Classic American cars in Cuba; half from the 50s, and a quarter each from the 40s and 30s.
Many owners have gotten quite creative to keep their cars running. One car we rode in was retrofitted with a Hyundai diesel engine. The new engine provides big gas savings – he had been getting 7 miles a gallon before the switch. In a country where gas is a very scarce and expensive commodity, you can imagine his savings.
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Havana became the most important port linking the New and Old Worlds. Founded in 1519, historic Havana’s history is rich with tales of pirates, sunken ships, and conflict. In La Habana Vieja (Old Havana), the architecture, combined with its picturesque setting on the Gulf, transports visitors to centuries past.
Havana has more beautiful historic buildings than I thought possible. Styles range from Spanish Colonial, Cuban Baroque, Neoclassical, Art Deco, and Moderne. You can see influences of European, American, and Soviet design. There are five key plazas in La Habana* Vieja and many parks throughout the city.
Comprising two square miles, Old Havana has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. We toured a portion with Lynne, an architect with the Office of the Historian of Havana. She trained with the man who worked to define and preserve the area, and who put together a comprehensive five-year restoration plan. That plan dates from the early 80s, and not much has been accomplished, but it did save the Old Town from being destroyed. Lynne told us there were 5,000 buildings in the area still needing restoration. 5,000!
We walked from the Castillo de la Real Fuerza and the Plaza de Armas to the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the residence of the governors from the Spanish Empire era. This Castillo is one of four remaining fortifications that protected the valuable harbor. I wish we could have spent some time exploring those defensive sites.
Calle Tacón, the street in front of the Palacio, is made of wood. I have never seen anything like this before. In 1841, wood replaced river stones and stone blocks. It created a quieter, more sanitary environment for the area’s entitled residents. Buried for many years, part of the street was uncovered during the restoration in the 80s and is still maintained, now as a pedestrian area.
Housing Crisis
Today, many crumbling buildings provide housing. With no established owners (since the government seized the properties), people were able to just move in. Through the years, residents have added small bathrooms or kitchens, often undermining the buildings’ integrity and safety. Combined with zero maintenance, you can imagine the condition. Before restoration can begin, people need to be moved (and there is no place for them to go). Patchwork adaptations need to be undone before structural and restoration work can start. We did not see much graffiti, but we did see piles of trash everywhere in Havana. We were told there is no gas to run the garbage trucks, so it’s not being collected.
Social Centers of the Past
The Capitol building, built in the 1920s, with a design similar to the US Capitol, has been restored and is a focal point for the city. It is not used for government meetings because it is not large enough to house the 470 members of the National Assembly, who meet twice a year. Elected without opposition, Assembly members do not challenge the Communist regime. It is near Parque Central (Central Park), which features a prominent statue of José Martí, and is surrounded by the buildings described next.
The beautiful Gran Teatro de la Habana building was originally built by Galician (Spanish) immigrants as a social center. It now houses the National Ballet.
Across the park is the Centro Asturiano de la Habana, opened in 1927 as a community center for Spanish immigrants from the northern region of Asturias. These social centers housed a theater, ballroom, and many community spaces. My grandfather (Abuelo) was a member since 1917 and was very involved with the Centro Asturiano in Tampa, Florida which was originally a branch of the Havana club. Today, the Havana site is home to the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Hotel Nacional de Cuba
The most famous place to stay in Havana is, without doubt, the Hotel Nacional. Decades past saw it playing host to many celebrities such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Micky Mantle, and Marlene Dietrich, to name a few. The imposing building overlooks the waterfront but is quite a distance from Habana Vieja. Opening in 1930, the front facade and lobby areas look very similar to Coral Gables’ Biltmore Hotel. As Americans, we cannot officially stay in this government-owned property, but we did get in a green ’49 Chevy to go over a take a look (check out “our” car at the front entrance).
Searching Habana Viejo
I was determined to visit the address where my Abuelo resided while in Cuba in 1920. So, with a copy of his official documents from the Havana Spanish Consulate in hand, we set off once again with trusty driver and new friend, Pita, in the green Chevy, to Calle Inquistador. Erik, who arranges cars at the hotel, jumped in and came along for the ride. I think he was questioning the mission and decided we needed a bodyguard. We found the street, a five-block spoke off Plaza Viela, one of the five iconic plazas in the Old Town.
It was a crazy ride with lots of locals trying to help and offering animated opinions. People were leaning in the windows, others shouting comments from the edges of the narrow street and behind gated doorways. At one point, the car was backing down an impassable street. When it was obvious we couldn’t drive farther, we walked to the plaza. We never found the exact address, and for a moment felt like we were on a bizarre version of the Amazing Race. Although I never felt in danger, our thanks to Pita and Erik for getting us back to our hotel without incident.
*It’s not a typo, Habana is the Spanish spelling of Havana
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A rainy day prior refreshed the weather and gave us relief from the hot, humid, sticky conditions. Just in time for a trip to get out of the city. Our bus left early for a three-hour drive into the countryside to the north-central Pinar del Rio Province of Cuba and the Viñales Valley. This area is famous for tobacco production.
The valley around Viñales is a beautiful karst landscape. Surrounded by mountains and tall rounded outcrops (mogotes), with red clay soil, and lush green fields of tobacco. It is a UNESCO heritage site.
A Family Side-bar
I was very excited to visit this region since my Spanish Abuelo worked in the industry, making handmade cigars. In the early days, my Abuela was one of the ladies adding the colorful cigar bands. After his 1920 arrival in the US (transiting from Spain through Cuba), Abuelo spent his first years in New York City, where he helped organize the Fonseca Cigar Factory, earning plaudits from famous union leader Samuel Gompers. A few years later, he moved to Tampa, Florida, which, in the 1920s was home to more than 200 cigar factories.
Today, 25 of the historic buildings still exist (many successfully repurposed), which is why Tampa is known as “Cigar City.” Abuelo joined the thriving Spanish-Asturian community, spending the next 25 years working for the Garcia y Vega Cigar Company (using Cuban-grown tobacco) and another quarter century with the Corral Wodiska company. He estimated he hand rolled more than three million cigars for the luxury market. And he never smoked.
My grandparents above, in Tampa, 1929. Abuelo joined the thriving Spanish-Asturian community, spending the next 25 years working for the Garcia y Vega Cigar Company (using Cuban-grown tobacco) and another quarter century with the Corral Wodiska company. He estimated he hand rolled more than three million cigars for the luxury market. And he never smoked.
An interesting fact I learned while writing this post: In 1955, Fidel Castro visited the Corral Wodiska factory, among other places, to solicit support and raise money for his planned overthrow of the Cuban government. Wow.
Back to Viñales
We visited a tobacco farm, heard from the owner, and saw how the tobacco was dried, baled, and stored. He rolled a quick one to light-up. Ladies demonstrated how the leaves were smoothed, cut, and layered to roll cigars.
It was a very breezy, cool day with beautiful blue skies, perfect to be on a farm. We enjoyed the cats, turkeys, and chickens, but were not too thrilled with the caged hutias, which is a large, ugly rodent eaten in this area. Too ugly for pics. One crazy person tried to pet them, luckily, she didn’t get bitten.
Town & Highway
The town of Viñales was tidy with lots of restaurants, a block-long market, and some small guest houses. In contrast to the city, the mostly one-story homes with porches seemed to be orderly and well-maintained. The focus of the town square was a lovely small church. We had a typical Cuban family-style lunch served at a local paladar where our big excitement was the uninvited guest seen in the photo above.
There wasn’t much traffic during either portion of the trip, and although the road was a bit rough, it was in better condition than I expected (it is a major highway). We frequently spotted one-horse carts traveling along the road. Farmers still use oxen to plow fields, but most the land we passed wasn’t being used for any purpose. There is a huge food shortage in Cuba, and it’s a shame some of this land could not be more productive.
In spite of all the travel time, it was a very enjoyable day.
If you enjoyed this post, check out my other content about Cuba: Reflections Intro | Reflections of Cuba ’25: Music & Dance
